A: Cola black, almost impenetrable to light, a little bit reddish (like black cherry) when held to light, but mostly just black. A couple fingers of head about the colour of chocolate milk.

S: A bit piney, dark bread, no citrus or floral notes.

T: I might be crazy, but there's something about this beer that reminds me of sausages. I wouldn't really say it's smokey, but there's some sort of charred/grilled flavour going on here. Bitter and a bit piney, but not without dark malt flavours. This beer has a taste unlike any I've ever tried, and it's certainly not awful, but it's not really to my liking, either. It's the char/smoke flavour I'm not crazy about. (718 characters)

Pours black with a large tan head.Lots of roasty malt as a flavour along with menthol, pine and smoke. Interesting.Flavours include coffee grounds, roasted malt, caramel, piny hops, spicy notes. Finishes with a bold bitterness with both piny and roasty components.Carbonation is just a little high. (301 characters)

Enjoyed out of a 22 oz brown bottle with a distinctive silkscreened label showing a map of "Cascadia". No kind of dating that I can find, but I know this is available in the Spring, so I'm guessing this bottle is close to six months old. Poured into a 16 oz nonic style tumbler.

Appearance - A healthy pour yields a big frothy cocoa powder colored head of a little more than two fingers with a pillowy top of suds. Body is a deep crude oil black that lets very little light through, but there may be highlights of dark walnut. Hard to tell if that's just reflecting light. Retention is outstanding, and leaves spotty lacing.

Smell - Lots of roasted elements going on here. Coffee, cacao, toasted wheat bread, and just a faint hit of some rich, earthy hop bitterness. A bit of grassiness as well, but very little floral or citrus. None of the hop profile that I love in a good "Black IPA", but with a six month passage of time, hop aroma is going to suffer. Even though there aren't the distinctive hop profiles, I do get the sense that the hops lend some aromatic qualities to the roasty components, giving them a bit more life.

Taste - Much like the smell, the taste here is more porter-like than IPA-like. There is still an earthy bitterness to accompany burnt caramel, espresso and coffee bean flavor profiles, so the flavor is actually quite balanced.

Overall, a delicious beer, but one that I can't help but wonder if it would be better with a stronger floral hop profile. It's funny, my brain would probably fooled into rating this higher if the label said "porter" instead of "black IPA". Either way, it's solid and is good enough to make me curious to try to locate a fresher bottle. (1,818 characters)

S: Dark roasted malt features a slight peated twist, but is also leaned on by disruptive carbon dioxide. Weak floral hops come across as noncommittal and evasive.

T: Begins barely off-dry with soft roasted grain and mild hops aromatics that cultivate a derived fruity quality. Acidity is mild into the middle where some savory wood smoke develops. The finish pairs mild bitterness with leftover qualities that make a quick retreat.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, slightly acidic and wet on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Like many of the beers by Hopworks, this one probably performs best when it is simply consumed rather than analyzed or compared to its peers. It is capably brewed but not really noteworthy, without much ability to stand out in a crowd. (938 characters)

Big thumbs up for the name / bottle design on this bomber. I've tried "The Audacity of Hops" and "Hop Obama" but here's a beer with a less mainstream political statement: Cascadian independence. The label clearly defines Cascadia as all of Oregon, Washington, and BC. No Northern California allowed -- nor Western Idaho. It also defines 6.5% ABV, 15° P, and 70 IBU.

Beer pours a dark brown color with a tiny head. Aroma is of spicy hops, slightly piney, but not particularly citrusy. Flavor is super mellow with a substantial load of roasted barley, giving this CDA a malt profile worthy of interest on its own, rather than just a dark backdrop for a black Northwest style IPA. The profile of the bitterness doesn't strike me as particularly dominant or otherwise an IPA, but there's enough there to bring great balance along with a piney hop profile, suggesting perhaps Amarillo more than C-hops. The malt side there are nutty flavors, toast, and chocolate. But the mouthfeel is all brown ale, not stout or porter.

A: Black coffee colour fully clear, so black, light struggling to pass through. On pour the sudsy thin tan head sticks around just long enough to make a show, then just fades to a single file rim a round the glass.

S: First blush of sweet malts, molasses, coco, & instant coffee followed up with the hops of pine resins, grapefruit rind and finishes with that acrid hoppy scent.

T: Similar to the smell the taste is forward with sweet malts, molasses, rye bread & coco followed quickly with hoppy pine resin & grapefruit rind. The finish is an interesting play of dark roasted coffee that's just edging over to bitter with an after taste of hoppy pine.

M: Mouth feel is at the fair side of light edging into a medium viscosity. Low on carbonation.

O:The interplay of hops and malts mix well highlighting the best qualities of both, while not overwhelming the each other. It's worth sipping this one to experience the taste profile, especially as it warms. (962 characters)

these guys nail it for the style which is a hoppy IPA with dark malts. The mouthfeel is luscious and smooth but the hops are always there waiting for the next mouthfull. I could drink this all day which is saying a lot since many BIPAs are harsh on the finish and tend to overstay their welcome. As good as Deschutes Hop in the Dark , this is a keeper (351 characters)

Appearance: Pours just a shade lighter than lack, with ruby highlights; the creamy tan head leaves a nice pattern of lacing behind

Smell: A blend of pith and tangerine from the hops and chocolate, mocha and nuts from the malt

Taste: The battle between the malt and the hops is so intense here it is hard to tell which flavors hit the tongue first; suffice to say that the malts bring chocolate, mocha and nut flavors and those form the backbone; on top of the malts, the hops add tangerine pith; after the swallow, the flavors continue to battle, though the end result is rather balanced

Mouthfeel: Medium body and moderate carbonation

Overall: A very nice example of the style, displaying all of the flavor components

Pours dark blackish amber, not cloudy looking, small but persistent beige head. Smell is hoppy with malty roastiness. Smell is very good, in fact.

Taste starts out with syrupy sweetness, then coffee, then hops, and that sweetness really stays throughout. Luckily it's pretty well balanced against the bitters. It's quite nice tasting, after some ice cream.

Mouthfeel is thick and slightly sticky. Overall, this is quite good. (464 characters)

Smell: heavy hop punch followed with some roasted malt aromas, chocolate, fudge, a little coffee and some alcohol soaked currants. Smells quite good and inviting.

Taste: Hops, sweet currants and coffee flavors stand out, with some more hop flavor and some chocolate, a bit of currant and anise, with a bit of bitterness that seems to come more from the roasted malt than the hops. My mouth tastes like I've been eating raw hops espresso beans after drinking this beer. The alcohol is there but oddly subtle, especially considering how fresh this beer is.

Feel: full bodied, a little chewy good carbonation, just right for the style. Very smooth and easy going down!

Overall: First time I've had this one, second time I've had a beer from this brewery and both time I"ve been impressed! Delicious beer and I should also note that the price only adds to how great this beer is. At 4.99 for a bomber in a market where you should expect to spend over 6-7 for a bomber of anything and much more for a yummy porter'esk' beer like this one, this is an amazing deal. Serving type: bottle (1,210 characters)

Pours a deep brown color, almost black. I just barely get some reddish colors when I hold it up to light. Head is a light tan color and stands about a finger talk after I poured it into a tall tulip. Smell is of citrus and floral hops and has some nice roastedness coming through as well. The first taste to register is the subtle malt backbone, then almost immediately I get a strong taste citrus hops, and a touch of floral hops as well. Wrapping up the taste is the roasted malts. They don't really announce their presence until late in the sip, but it comes in well. The body of the beer is of average thickness. Carbonation is subtle, but it fits the beer well. This is a great CDA, in my opinion it is a great example of the style. (737 characters)

22 oz bomber from "Lifesource" Salem. $4.95 Screen printed label..in the colours of the "Doug Fir" flag of the Republic of Cascadia. Mahogany dark brown ale with a nice thick creamy tan head. Great herbal,citric and pine tones from the hops in the aroma,hint of coffee from the malts. Surprising taste..very balanced but at the same time wildly swinging from the piney hops to the dark chocolate,toasted malts..then balanced again. Great mouthfeel very captivating..and a very tasty bitter after taste that lingers..like good dark esspresso coffee. Over all a very nice CDA (573 characters)

T- Some coffee and toasted malts hit the palate first. More subtle chocolate notes. But the resinous and citrus hops come in and dominate the rest of the sip. A solid bitterness comes over the palate.

M- Medium bodied with medium-light carbonation. For some odd reason, the body would seem thin at times. Almost no trace of alcohol. The bitterness lasts into the aftertaste.

O - I really want to like CDAs more than I usually do. In this case, I thought this was a quality beer. The NW hop profile mixed with subtle chocolate and roasty malts create a well balanced brew. (964 characters)

This one pours a deep dark brown colour. It's nearly black under indirect light. There is a nice tan head sitting on top that settles down to a thin film over the beer. It leaves some nice lacing.

Lots of hops dominate the aroma alongside some caramel and roasted malt. There is a smooth, almost marshmallowy vanilla aroma throughout the background.

The flavour is nice and smooth to start with dark roasted malts. It becomes slightly sweet as the aromatic hops take over and fill the mouth. It ends with some medium bitterness and lingering roasty burnt flavour mixed with fragrant hops.

Overall, this is a nice CDA! I haven't had too many, but if this beer was a bit cheaper, I'd put it high on my list! (708 characters)